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Books in Earth surface processes

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Remote Sensing in Soil Science

  • 1st Edition
  • Volume 15
  • May 1, 1987
  • M.A. Mulders
  • English
  • eBook
    9 7 8 - 0 - 0 8 - 0 8 6 9 8 3 - 4
This book provides comprehensive coverage of remote sensing techniques and their application in soil science. A clear, step-by-step approach to the various aspects ensures that the reader will gain a good grasp of the subject so that he can apply the techniques to his own field of study.The book opens with a thorough introduction to the physical aspects of electromagnetic radiation and the technical aspects of remote sensing and image processing. This is followed by a discussion of the methods for interpreting remote sensing data, and their application to soils, vegetation, and land as a whole.As the interpretation of soil conditions is based on many aspects (i.e. soil surface, vegetation, land use, land form), the scope of the book is correspondingly broad. It will therefore provide much useful information for students and scientists in soil science, geography, geology, hydrology, ecology, agriculture and civil engineering.

Water Resources and Water Management

  • 1st Edition
  • Volume 28
  • January 1, 1987
  • M.K. Jermar
  • English
  • eBook
    9 7 8 - 0 - 0 8 - 0 8 7 0 1 9 - 9
The size and number of water projects and other development activities which influence the hydrological cycle have reached such proportions that the majority of problems involved extend beyond the boundaries of the traditional disciplines of hydraulics, hydrochemistry, hydrology and hydrogeology.New scientific methods for the solution of the contemporary problems in water management include analogy, operation research, system analysis and cybernetics. The distinctive features of these methods are their emphasis on measurement and on the use of conceptual models described in quantitative terms, the verification of their theoretical predictions, and their awareness that concepts are conditional and subject to growth and continuous change. This new approach should be defined within the framework of water resources management, i.e. within a complex of activities whose objective is the optimum utilization of water resources with regard to their quality and availability and the requirements of society. These water management activities should at the same time also ensure an optimum living environment, above all through protection of water resources against deterioration and exhaustion as well as through the protection of society against the harmful effects of water. In the course of these activities water resources management should avail itself of the entire spectrum of explicit sciences, gradually coming to form the sphere of its own theory.This monograph deals with the fundamental interdisciplinary problems of this complex sphere, an understanding of which is indispensable for successful water resources management in the widest sense of its social functions and environmental consequences. Thus, a common basis is provided for the mutual understanding of specialists from different backgrounds.

Reservoir Sedimentation

  • 1st Edition
  • Volume 29
  • January 1, 1987
  • G.W. Annandale
  • English
  • eBook
    9 7 8 - 0 - 0 8 - 0 8 7 0 2 0 - 5
Research on reservoir sedimentation in recent years has been aimed mainly at water resources projects in developing countries. These countries, especially in Africa, often have to cope with long droughts, flash floods and severe erosion problems. Large reservoir capacities are required to capture water provided by flash floods so as to ensure the supply of water in periods of drought. The problem arising however is that these floods, due to their tremendous stream power, carry enormous volumes of sediment which, due to the size of reservoirs, are virtually deposited in toto in the reservoir basin, leading to fast deterioration of a costly investment. Accurate forecasting of reservoir behaviour is therefore of the utmost importance.This book fills a gap in current literature by providing in one volume comprehensive coverage of techniques required to practically investigate the effects sediment deposition in reservoirs has on the viability of water resources projects. Current techniques for practically estimating sediment yield from catchments, estimating the volume of sediment expected to deposit in reservoirs, predicting sediment distribution and calculating scour downstream of reservoirs are evaluated and presented. The liberal use of diagrams and graphs to explain the various techniques enhances understanding and makes practical application simple. A major feature of the book is the application of stream power theory to explain the process of reservoir sedimentation and to develop four new methods for predicting sediment distribution in reservoirs.The book is primarily directed at practising engineers involved in the planning and design of water resources projects and at post-graduate students interested in this field of study.

Variational Methods in Geosciences

  • 1st Edition
  • November 1, 1986
  • Y.K. Sasaki
  • English
  • eBook
    9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 4 - 5 9 7 1 2 - 0
The last few decades have seen a spectacular growth in the use of variational methods, one of the most classic and elegant methods in physical and mathematical sciences, as powerful tools of optimization and numerical analysis.The tremendous accumulation of information on the use of variational methods in the area of the geosciences, which includes meteorology, oceanography, hydrology, geophysics and seismology, indicated the need for the first symposium on Variational Methods in Geosciences to be organized and held in Norman on October 15-17, 1985. The value of this symposium was enhanced by the number of stimulating and informative papers presented.

Kinematic Hydrology and Modelling

  • 1st Edition
  • Volume 26
  • April 1, 1986
  • M.E. Meadows + 1 more
  • English
  • eBook
    9 7 8 - 0 - 0 8 - 0 8 7 0 1 7 - 5
Requiring little mathematical background, the book provides tools for hydraulic engineers and hydrologists concerned with estimating catchment runoff and floods. It condenses widely spread research literature on the subject of kinematic hydrology and emphasizes basic principles so it should be of value to students and teachers in these areas. The book is comprehensive and yet written in a basic way enabling practitioners to pick out relevant sections and apply them to real problems. It also contains a valuable collection of charts and equations as well as simple computer programs for modelling catchment runoff and stream flow using the kinematic equations.A wide spectrum of hydrological processes can be analyzed using the kinematic equations. Overland flow, stream flow and even groundwater flow can be studied. A review of the assumptions behind the theory indicates where alternative equations are more accurate. The book thus provides tools for hydrological simulation, stormwater system design and catchment management. It will be particularly useful for professors and students in postgraduate and senior years in hydrology, and practicing engineers and hydrologists in stormwater, flood and water resources fields.

Groundwater Modelling

  • 1st Edition
  • Volume 25
  • January 1, 1986
  • W. Kinzelbach
  • English
  • eBook
    9 7 8 - 0 - 0 8 - 0 8 7 0 1 6 - 8
With the growing concern about groundwater resources both with respect to quantity and quality, the need for groundwater modelling tools is increasing. Although there are a number of excellent introductions to the concepts of groundwater flow and pollution transport, the student or practising engineer wishing to develop a model and do practical work on the computer finds that there is still a gap between the understanding of concepts and the ability to handle the actual computations. A great deal of groundwater modelling software for personal computers and microcomputers has appeared recently, but taking these models from the shelf and applying them without a background on their capabilities often leads to disappointment and frustration. This book provides the reader with all necessary details to start modelling on his own. It gives a comprehensive introduction to the major techniques currently used in the modelling of groundwater flow and pollutant transport in groundwater. Both self-contained and comprehensive, it presents a wide variety of methods currently applied in the management, protection, and remediation of groundwater resources, which allows the reader to take the step from understanding the concepts to the ability to handle actual computations. All major techniques are illustrated by a total of 19 sample programs in BASIC which can be modified by the reader to suit his own need. The programs can be run directly on an Apple II+ or compatible personal computer, and with slight modifications, most can be transferred to other microcomputers with BASIC capability and at least 48K of central memory. The necessary modifications for running the programs on an IBM-PC are indicated in the appendix.Students and professionals in the fields of hydrogeology and civil and environmental engineering will find this to be an extremely useful book. Knowledge of the basic concepts of hydrogeology is assumed and, starting from that basis, the book will enable them to understand mathematical groundwater models and write computer programs of their own.

Marine Interfaces Ecohydrodynamics

  • 1st Edition
  • Volume 42
  • January 1, 1986
  • J.C.J. Nihoul
  • English
  • eBook
    9 7 8 - 0 - 0 8 - 0 8 7 0 8 0 - 9
These proceedings describe physical and biological observations (including remote sensing observations) made at such diverse marine ergoclines as pynoclines, fronts, water-sediment and water-ice interfaces in different locations and environmental conditions. Mathematical models are described which are used to investigate the phenomena, providing a common language for their interpretation and the bases of the ecohydrodynamic study of marine interfaces.

Soil Physics with BASIC

  • 1st Edition
  • Volume 14
  • November 1, 1985
  • G.S. Campbell
  • English
  • eBook
    9 7 8 - 0 - 0 8 - 0 8 6 9 8 2 - 7
This book covers material taught in a graduate-level soil physics course at Washington State University. While most soil physics courses dwell mainly on deriving rather than solving the differential equations for transport, the author's approach is to focus on solutions. Graduate students in agricultural and biological sciences usually have a good working knowledge of algebra and calculus, but not of differential equations. In order to teach methods for solving very difficult differential equations with difficult boundary conditions using fairly simple mathematical tools, the author uses numerical procedures on microcomputers to solve the differential equations. Numerical methods convert differential equations into algebraic equations which can be solved using conventional methods of linear algebra.This book reflects the philosophy used in the course. Each chapter introduces soil physics concepts, generally in the conventional way. Most chapters then go on to develop simple computer programs to solve the equations and illustrate the points made in the discussion. Problems at the end of each chapter help the reader practice using the concepts introduced in the chapter. The problems and computer programs are an integral part of the presentation, and readers are strongly encouraged to experiment with each model until both the working of the model and the concepts it teaches are familiar. Although the programs are generally short and relatively simple, they are suitable for use as submodels in large, general-purpose models of the soil-plant-atmosphere system, and have been used in this way by the author and by several of his students.Teachers and students alike will welcome this new textbook. It will enable graduate students to understand and solve transport problems which exist in field situations, and will provide them with a good working knowledge of soil physics - fundamental to so many other areas in soil, plant and engineering sciences.

Hydrology of the Nile Basin

  • 1st Edition
  • Volume 21
  • January 1, 1985
  • M.M.A. Shahin
  • English
  • eBook
    9 7 8 - 0 - 0 8 - 0 8 8 7 5 6 - 2
A wealth of hydrological, hydrometeorological, hydrometrical and other related data covering nearly all parts of the Nile Basin is presented in this volume. After an introductory chapter on the Nile's history, chapters cover: the physiography, topography, and climate of the different parts of the Nile Basin; rainfall on the Basin, evaporation from open surfaces, and evapotranspiration from cropped areas. Rainfall data for a 30-year period from 1938 to 1967 are summarized and analyzed; evaporation and evapotranspiration measurements are presented, analyzed and discussed. In the absence of actual measurements, attempts have been made to estimate them from a number of formulae using the available climatological normals. The results obtained are important for planning, design and management of water supply and control projects, especially for irrigation and drainage. The geology of the Nile Basin is briefly reviewed and its effect on groundwater potentials, quality and quantity is discussed. Surface runoff and discharge at the key stations is covered, and an extensive review given of existing water storage, control and conservation projects in the Nile Basin.Thus the volume contains an enormous amount of data that will be of great practical value to consulting engineers. It is a book which should be in the library of all hydrological institutes and universities.

Streamflow Characteristics

  • 1st Edition
  • Volume 22
  • January 1, 1985
  • H.C. Riggs
  • English
  • eBook
    9 7 8 - 0 - 0 8 - 0 8 7 0 1 3 - 7
Reliable estimates of streamflow characteristics are needed for planning, design, and operation of works for providing water supplies and for protection from flooding. This book brings together some of the most useful estimation methods - those that are simple, practical, and require only commonly available or readily obtainable data, and which give results comparable in accuracy with those derived from more sophisticated methods. The author describes how streamflow data are collected, how the characteristics are computed, how they are changed by man's activities, and how they are used in planning and design. Chapters describing statistical principles and techniques, and the effects of various climatic and physiographic factors on streamflow are included. The analytical methods are described in sufficient detail that the reader can apply them to his data. Further applications and other techniques are referred to in bibliographies.

Related subjects

Cartography

Environmental geology

Geomorphology

Glaciology

Groundwater chemistry contaminant hydrology

Hydrology

Physical geography

Remote sensing and photogrammetry

Structural soil science